Community members from Waukegan, Peoria and Vermilion teamed together this week to promote changing the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's rules regarding coal-ash pond removal.

The Illinois Pollution Control Board is considering state rules, but the activists are asking for stronger, more enforceable procedures.

Coal ash is the waste left over from burning coal, which contains arsenic, selenium and mercury that can impact the air and drinking water of the communities, said Jessica Dexter, staff attorney for the Environmental Law and Policy Center. According to the Sierra Club, most ponds are lined in hopes that the ash does not contaminate the groundwater, but the IEPA found contaminated groundwater at every site tested.

State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, spoke at the Springfield conference and said she questions what the plant's effects are to residents who live near the pollution.

"Frankly, we have air-quality issues in Lake County, and having a coal plant certainly adds to that," she said. "We have higher rates of asthma and allergies with those irritations in the air."

SPRINGFIELD — To equip police investigators with the most up-to-date knowledge and skills to respond to domestic violence as soon as they answer a call, the General Assembly passed a proposal sponsored by State Sen. Melinda Bush in the Senate that would provide for additional training for law enforcement.

“By requiring more training, we’re sharpening our law enforcement officers’ ability to investigate these crimes. Domestic violence is stereotyped so often, and we need to fight preconceived notions of what an abuse situation looks like,” said Bush, D-Grayslake.

Currently, the law recommends but does not require police departments to coordinate domestic violence response training with service organizations and develop appropriate arrest procedures. The new training under the legislation is aimed at the prevention of further victimization, focusing on looking beyond the physical evidence of domestic violence and giving officers an understanding of the deeper psychological aspects of abusive relationships.

“Abusers need to know that our officers know what to look for,” Bush said. “When we make our investigators tougher, we make families safer.”

The legislation is House Bill 5538, which passed the Senate Wednesday. Having passed both chambers without opposition, it must be signed by the governor to become law.

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — Illinois lawmakers are advancing proposals that would make feminine hygiene products and contraception more affordable for women.

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure on Thursday that would exempt feminine hygiene products from the state sales tax. The plan heading to the House is a part of a national movement to eliminate the so-called "pink tax."

The average statewide sales tax is 6.25 percent but can be as high as 10.25 percent in Chicago.

House lawmakers narrowly approved a plan that would make it easier and more affordable for women to access birth control by a 61-52 vote. Bill sponsor Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook said the plan puts the state in line with the Affordable Care Act.